Big Innings Doom Seward in Losses

Brock Kappelmann - April 23, 2017 9:02 am

Seward County pitching only allowed runs in 4 of 16 pitched on Saturday, but two of those four were five spots, and another a seven run frame for the visiting Dodge City Conquistadors as the Conqs took the series opener 12-7 and game two 7-3 to send the Saints to their seventh and eighth straight losses.

In the series opener, Dodge City came out swinging, plating five runs in the top half of the 2nd inning to take a quick 5-0 lead on Seward.

The Saints answered back in a major way in the bottom half of the 3rd inning as Jacob Nielsen and Tim Fitzgerald each singled home two, while Law Greiner and Errett Edwards cracked RBI doubles to give Seward a seven run inning to take a 7-5 advantage of their own.

A Seward error in the 4th allowed Dodge to get a pair of unearned tallies to tie the score at seven and it remained a 7-7 game after a scoreless 5th frame.

Dodge City was back at it in the 6th, again using poor Seward defense to aid in their damage. The Conqs a pair of runs to chase Saints starter Jared Biddy from the contest and then peppered the Seward bullpen for three more to open up a 12-7 lead.

The Saints never threatened again as their final six hitters of the game were retired in order to give Dodge a 12-7 win in the opener.

Seward had nine hits in the loss, but it was three big errors, leading to six unearned runs that did them in. Edwards went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Saints while Nielsen, Fitzgerald, and Greiner each knocked home two. Biddy took the loss on the hill, falling to 4-5 on the year as he allowed nine hits and six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work.

In game two it was Seward jumping out to the early lead as Addison Kaasch left the yard to right field in the bottom half of the 1st for his sixth homer of the year to give the Saints a 2-0 lead.

Saints starter Ethan Earhart weaved his way in and out of trouble for the first few frames, walking six through three, but picking up a pair of double plays to keep the Conqs off the board.

In the 5th, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brian Tims stretched the Seward lead to 3-0 as the teams went to the 6th.

That’s when all heck broke loose for the guys in green. A dropped fly ball by the Seward defense started the Dodge half of the 6th and later in the frame a groundout that should have ended the inning allowed the Conqs first run of the game to score to make it 3-1. With two outs a Dodge City single right back up the box evened the score at three and sent the Saints to the bullpen. The Conqs again greeted the Seward pen with little hospitality, drawing a walk and then banging out a double and a home run to score four runs to just like that give Dodge City a 7-3 lead.

The Saints had their best shot to get back in the game in the 7th as they loaded the bases with nobody out, but a pop out on the infield and a tailor made double play ball ended the threat without anything crossing to keep it a 7-3 game.

Seward put a runner on in the 9th, but inexplicably, he was gunned down at second base trying to steal with a four run deficit staring them in the face to end the game and send the Saints to a 7-3 loss.

Seward actually outhit Dodge 9-7 in the game, getting two hits each from Brendan Madsen and Cody Coontz. Earhart took the loss on the mound, allowing three hits and four unearned runs while walking a school record nine in 5 2/3 innings worked to drop to 3-4 on the year.

The Saints drop their eighth straight to fall to 16-31 on the year, setting an all-time program mark with their 31st loss of the season. Their Jayhawk West mark reels to 9-17 where they are now in 7th place, just one game out of the 8th and final playoff spot from the West side. Dodge City remains hot, improving to 32-14 on the year and 17-9 in league action where they now sit in a three way tie for 2nd with Barton and Colby.

The Saints and Conqs will continue their four game set on Sunday at Brent Gould Field with a 1:00 first pitch set. Saints Dugout Show begins at 12:45 and the games air on 1270 and kscbnews.net.